Basketball league set to be ‘declared null and void’
The Iranian Basketball Super League is likely to be “declared null and void without a champion” due to the regional situation and national team commitments, the head of the federation’s League Organization has announced.
Speaking to IRNA on Monday, Meysam Alipour said that the sport’s national governing body held a meeting with representatives of the top-flight clubs, deciding “to cancel the remainder of the league season until the regional situation returns to normal.”
All league games have been called off since the outbreak of a military conflict between Iran and a U.S.-Israeli coalition on February 28.
Reigning champion Shahrdari tops the 11-team table of the regular season after 19 rounds of matches – level on 35 points and 16 wins with Esteghlal and Kaleh.
“If this decision is finalized, we will not have a champion, and the league will be declared null and void under the current circumstances,” Alipour said. “We do not have the time to give teams an opportunity to get back into match shape.”
The official added that Iran must soon announce its representatives for the West Asia Super League, making a swift resolution necessary.
Asked about the possibility that top teams in the table might demand the league continue to determine Iran’s representatives for West Asian competition, Alipour said those clubs would need adequate time to train and prepare.
“With the national team camps for the World Cup Asian qualifiers and the Asian Games looming, we do not have the time to allocate both training periods and league matches,” he explained. “Ending the league seems to be the best decision.”
Sitting second to Jordan in Group C, Iran is set to play in the third window of World Cup qualifiers in July, with a postponed game against Syria from the previous window likely to be rescheduled for May or June.